


Working Equation

by SG5evah (orphan_account)



Category: Geri Halliwell - Fandom, Ginger Spice - Fandom, Mel B - Fandom, Melanie Brown - Fandom, Meri - Fandom, Scary Spice - Fandom, Spice Girls, Spice World (1997)
Genre: 90s band, Angst, Biracial, F/F, FF, Happy Ending, Real People Shipping, Spice Girls - Freeform, music idols
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2020-01-11 09:21:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18427655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/SG5evah
Summary: A side story to 'Two and Two Together.' Mel B and Geri (Spice Girls).





	Working Equation

Carefully, Geri parked her car on the curb and docked out.

She did everything with great care these days. Her new circumstances required it. Though the divorce was amicably settled, it was not a bloodless battle. In fact, the unique situation she and her children were in was more precarious than she liked. Her mother still refused to speak to her. Her children had not seen their grandmother in over a year. Natalie stayed in touch but stopped coming over. And forget about Christian's family. That bridge was burned a long time ago. Now she could admit that she was just deluding herself into thinking she could ever win their approval. Only Max – good, ol'e Max – acted like nothing had changed.

It was another hard lesson learned, knowing which among the people she'd surrounded herself with in the past several years were true. It was déjà vu. She was not surprised to find that the people who stuck with her the first time were the same people who stuck with her now. Yet, a persistent voice inside her head asked, _How many times do you have to learn and re-learn that, Geri?_

The house, a cozy-looking, detached unit, was set far back from the street, beneath two ash trees. So, it was a bit of a walk for Geri as she made her way up the steps leading to the entrance. Once she reached the top, she paused and gazed up at the classic stucco fronted façade. It was the first time she'd been to the place. Prior to this, she'd never even heard of it, and she lived just a few neighborhoods away. It didn't even look like it was open to the public yet. She'd have to ask Emma how she found it.

The younger woman was waiting for her at the gracious entrance hall. Around her was a tangible presence of warmth and sweetness even when she wasn't actually saying or doing anything in particular. Geri called her name and Emma turned, her face immediately breaking into an earnest smile.

She and Emma had always been the closest. From the first moment she saw her at the train station, Geri took to her. She and Melanie Brown often said that Emma was like their little sister. The truth was, back then, they both saw something of themselves in Emma – that scared sixteen-year-old just moved away from home and on her own for the first time. Later, Geri would realize that Emma was nothing like she was at sixteen years old. She suspected it was the same for Mel. But there was enough commonality there to lay down the foundation of a solid friendship.

Really, it was like that with all the other Girls. Not the same but similar, like cupcakes baked from different batches then iced together.

Melanie B was the opposite of Emma. Where Emma made people feel calm, she was chaos. Truly gifted in it, too. Even at the beginning, she always left Geri feeling a little startled, a little disarmed, a little off balance. Never in her wildest imaginings did she ever think she could find someone who matched her in every way.

Thinking of her now, Geri felt her chest ache. It had been months since they last talked. She missed her, missed the ease they'd shared right from the start, and taken for granted. She missed the person that she was when Mel was around, carefree and relaxed. She missed the many little touches they'd constantly exchanged, deliberately casual yet full of intent. Her fingers along her wrist. Her hand across her back.

She just missed her. The entirety of her.

They had agreed to give each other space. A year, she'd said. It was not a terribly long time. They'd been apart for far longer than that. Time and distance would allow each other to regain their bearings and view the other's conditions from a different perspective. Perhaps, one of them may no longer feel entitled to the other's regard. Perhaps, they would find too little to salvage from this wreck of a friendship and decide it would be for the best to just let everything fall into pieces. The reality was, it had been over a year and there had never been an understanding of what the other expected at the end of this. There was just _hope._

"Hello, lovely," Emma said as soon as Geri came up. "You're here. Gorgeous."

Geri smiled, returning Emma's warm embrace. "You look good, darling. Is Jade with you?"

"No, it's a girly day. Just us, love." Emma slipped her arm around Geri's and led her to one of three principal rooms.

"Lovely house," Geri mentioned, looking around her, taking note of the pristine furnishings. Everything looked new and unused. It occurred to her then why the place wasn't open to the public. It was a residence. She turned to Emma with a question: "Are you and Jade thinking of moving?"

It seemed a little odd. Emma made no mention of wanting to move from Barnet.

"Er, a friend is considering it."

"Oh?"

Emma quickly changed the subject, instead asking Geri how she was doing. As was typical, Geri easily got distracted by the prospect of talking about herself. She told Emma that she saw just one paparazzi outside her home this morning. An improvement from the past couple of weeks when the divorce was finalized. In the initial furor, they used to follow her around on the daily, taking snaps of her to later sell to rag mags for their ongoing narrative of what they dubbed as "the lady of the manor's fall from grace."

"They're moving on. That's good," Emma said, sitting down on one of the cushy chairs in what seemed to be a room where the house occupants had their tea.

Geri nodded, joining Emma on the couch. A housekeep, the same one who opened the door for Geri, soon came in with a tray full of biscuits and two cups of tea. While she poured, Geri continued to chatter on, stopping only when she noticed that Emma kept looking towards the antechamber.

"Are we expecting someone else?" Geri asked, reaching for her tea.

"Not really," Emma said vaguely, continuing to stare in the same direction. After a minute, she gave a tiny smile, saying, "Sorry, Geri. I need to check on something." She got up and docked out of the room.

When she didn't return right away, Geri frowned in puzzlement. She could hear Emma speaking, urging someone, a newcomer from the sounds of it, to come inside. She wondered who it was. She didn't have to wait long to find out because in a matter of seconds, the person that had been foremost in her mind for well over a year was standing there. Emma was nowhere in sight.

"Geri…" Mel said.

Geri started, feeling her stomach tighten as shock waves passed through her into the palms of her hands. She found her mouth had gone dry. She could not swallow. She pushed her chair back and stood up. Mel was already striding forward.

They met half-way, and paused, eyes tracking each other's searchingly.

She'd grown her hair out, Geri noted in a delirium of emotions. The tips of her natural curls just brushed her shoulders. She lost a bit of weight though she still filled out her clothes perfectly. Underneath her light make-up, her skin was glowing. The only sign of the long flight she just endured were the chapped lips and the faint circles under her eyes. Yet, Geri had never seen her look so altered.

Or so heart-stoppingly beautiful.

"My god, Mel," she murmured through the tightness in her chest.

* * *

 

It was late afternoon and the light was already fading when Geri and Mel stopped under an Ash tree that grew in a corner of the landscaped back garden. The house rose behind them, silent and watchful.

It had come alive again. What had lain dormant and reduced to no more than a quiet yearning was beginning to leap and flame inside Geri. Mel was talking about mundane stuff, what had happened in almost a year and a half since they last saw each other. She'd sold the house in L.A. apparently. She was now renting a smaller one in a quiet neighborhood near Angel and Madison's school. There were a couple of projects she was considering – the one in Australia which was still on the table even after her initial refusal, and a TV stint in the UK.

Geri mostly listened. Mel's low voice was the same. It seemed to slide along each nerve of her body. Her arm brushed hers occasionally as Mel gesticulated while speaking, causing small frissons to travel up Geri's entire arm to stop at her throat. Mel was telling her that she'd gotten Stephen to sign over full custody of Madison. This caught Geri's attention and she glanced at her sharply. "Really? How?"

Mel's lips curved into a smirk as her eyes, dark and gorgeous, found Geri's. "You'd be mad if I tell you."

"Mel, you didn't." She knew immediately what the slimey bastard managed to wrest out of Mel and it devastated her. To put a price tag on one's own child like common chattel and accepting payment, it was beyond sordid. It was depraved.

But Mel being Mel, she merely let out a mirthless chuckle. "It's done, Geri. It's over. I'm free. And my babies are safe."

Geri let out a slow exhale. Reframing her thoughts from Mel's perspective, she was right, of course. Money was the last thing Mel was concerned about. She would sell her house ten times over and give all the proceeds to Stephen and then some, if it meant she could keep her children away from his grubby hands. The monster knew this, too, and it filled Geri with so much impotent rage that he could take this much advantage and that the system would allow him to do so.

She looked at Mel, who caught her gaze and stared into her eyes with a contemplative expression on her face. No social smile or conversational suggestion was given. After a while, she turned her head slowly as though to look at the view.

A comfortable silence had settled between them. Mel was leaning against the trunk of the Ash tree, hands shoved deep in her jacket pockets. A gentle breeze was blowing and Geri noticed a rich curl of hair stuck to Mel's neck. There were so many things she wanted to say, but she found she couldn't really speak. Something had closed her throat. Instead she raised her right hand with the palm toward her. A silent offer.

Mel looked at her again, then at the raised hand, a simple gesture that conveyed so much, and took it without hesitation.

The palm of her hand was full of heat as it touched hers. Geri felt her chest contract.

"I'm happy to see you looking so well." Mel was smiling now and Geri could hardly swallow. She seemed to wait for her to say something.

Geri had spent long nights thinking about what she wanted to say to Mel when they finally met. She wanted to say how sorry she was for everything. It seemed they were always apologizing to each other. They had hurt each other so much in so many ways, sometimes unconsciously, oftentimes deliberately. They just couldn't seem to leave well enough alone. They were knives, just waiting for an opportunity to cut each other and bleed together, as if offering each other up as a sacrifice to the shrine of their bullshit.

There was a time when Geri believed their whole thing was toxic and she'd tried distancing herself, inoculating herself, living inside a bubble of her idealized life. And she fell for that delusion, did almost everything humanly possible to make it true. Except she couldn't give up Mel. Not entirely.

_She was her soul._

….Melanie C was right. They were ridiculous and full of drama.

"What do you think of the house?" Mel finally spoke, breaking the hush that settled between them. She was not looking at Geri. She averted her gaze, pretending like she wasn't interested in the answer.

Geri drew her brows together. "What do you mean?"

"It has seven bedrooms. Do you like it?"

"You know, I was just telling Emma that it's lovely but that I didn't know she and Jade were house-hunting. Turns out it belongs to a friend." Emma really disappeared on them, huh. After cheekily arranging this meeting.

Mel cast her a sideward glance.

"Well," Geri went on, clarifying, "a friend is apparently _considering_ it…." A full minute passed before the realization hit her. "Oh," she just said and turned to Mel, her face a picture of surprise.

Mel's laugh boomed.

The infectious quality of it caught Geri and she found herself joining her even as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. Feelings jumbled in a fever of joy and fear. The joy of being in love with her best friend and finally recognizing it for what it was. The fear of not knowing what the bloody hell she was supposed to do now. Her life was in tatters. She was pushing fifty for god's sake. She had so much to explain to her children. So much to forgive about herself. And at the center of this tableau of incongruity was Mel.

Lover.

Friend.

Mate.

"I love you, Melanie. I don't deserve you," Geri said and instantly felt her chest heave in a sigh of relief.

Mel reached up to cup her cheek gently, leaned forward to brush her lips with her own. When she spoke, there was a slight catch in her voice: "Be carefree with me, Geri."

 

_FIN_

**Author's Note:**

> In my head, they are together ok shut up.


End file.
